


Not Less

by LyriaBlackFrost



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Confessions, Fluff, Injury, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 15:16:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17963000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyriaBlackFrost/pseuds/LyriaBlackFrost
Summary: To Ryuji, protecting his friends is more important than his own well-being, and Akira is getting tired of his carelessness.





	Not Less

Ryuji was way too used to being reminded of how much he just sucked at everything. Yeah, he knew he wasn’t that smart, or that charismatic, or that attractive, or that anything, really. He was just a short-tempered guy, whose only redeeming quality was being able to break things and endure pain.

But, if he had to be honest, it didn’t bother him as much as he expected it to. Yeah, he wasn’t smart, but his friends were, and, as long as he was able to fight, he’d protect them with all that he had. He’d stay between them and any harm that came their way, without any question and without expecting thanks in return.

It was all he could do, after all...

“Skull?”

Ryuji opened his eyes, seeing Akira’s concerned face right above him. He felt confused for a second, searching his memory for whatever could have happened. It didn’t work.

Before he could ask anything, though, he felt his friend’s arms closing around him, a hand on his head, holding him against his chest.

“Joker?” he called, concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” repeated Akira in disbelief. “You have to stop scaring me, that’s what’s wrong!”

Ryuji frowned, unsure of how to react to those words. Only then he noticed a light tickle on the side of his face, and, upon touching it, he felt something wet against his fingers. A quick glance at them revealed a dark red color. He was bleeding.

“Was I hurt?” he asked.

“You covered me again...” grumbled Akira. “But this time they hit your head, and you started bleeding, and I...”

Akira stopped talking, pressing his lips together. Soon, Ann and Yusuke were beside him as well, being followed by Morgana, who stared at him with masked concern.

“I’ll heal you,” said the cat. “Stay still.”

Saying that, he cast Diarama on Ryuji, and the light-headiness he didn’t even realize he was feeling disappeared. He glanced at Akira again, who had his eyes on the ground, a serious expression on his face. Ryuji couldn’t understand why he was so angry, but tried to hide his confusion behind a light smile.

“Thanks, Mona,” he said. “I’m feeling better now.”

“Yeah...” said Akira. “At least until the next time you go and do something stupid.”

“Joker...” said Ann, looking at him with a slightly reproving look.

Ryuji averted his gaze. Yeah, if he had any doubts before, that was enough to confirm that Akira was mad at him. But why? If Ryuji hadn’t took the hit, his friend would be the injured one. And the group needed their leader well, much more than they needed Ryuji.

Akira didn’t say anything else, and the awkward silence followed them as they left Mementos inside Morgana. On the outside, they said their goodbyes to Ann and Yusuke. Ryuji was about to go to his own platform as well, when Akira held him by the arm. He looked at his friend, and his furrowed brow made Ryuji expect being scolded or something like that.

“Don’t do this again,” said Akira.

Ryuji looked at him, confused for a moment, before he understood what he meant.

“You mean covering you?” he asked, shaking his head. “Sorry, but can’t promise anything.”

Akira’s gaze made Ryuji feel smaller than he actually was.

“What makes you think I want that?” asked his friend. “I never asked you to get hurt for my sake!”

“I know,” answered Ryuji, lowering his gaze. “But I’m doing it ‘cause I don’t wanna see you get hurt. C’mon, man... You’re our leader. We need you.”

“Are you saying it’s fine if Ann, Yusuke or Morgana get hurt for my sake, too?”

“’Course not!” Ryuji stared at him in disbelief. “That’s why I’m there. I can take a few hits—”

“Stop.”

Akira’s voice was low, but also enough to silence Ryuji. He looked at his friend’s face, recognizing some pain in it. Shit... Had he messed things up again?

“Akira, I—”

“Stop,” repeated his friend. “I don’t want you to act like you’re worth less than any of us, especially me.”

“But it’s the only thing I can do,” insisted Ryuji. “I’m just doing my—”

“Stop!”

Ryuji shut his mouth, flinching a little at Akira’s elevated tone.

“Guys, not so loud...” said Morgana from inside Akira’s bag.

But Akira ignored the cat, grabbing Ryuji by his t-shirt, staring into his eyes with a serious face.

“It’s not your ‘part’ to get hurt for my sake,” he said. “So stop risking yourself so much. This isn’t what any of us want.”

Ryuji couldn’t find an answer to that, so he simply looked at Akira in surprise, until his friend let go of him, lowering his eyes.

“You’re part of this group, as much as I am. If we lose you, everything will be meaningless.”

“Akira...”

Before Ryuji could say anything else, Akira gave his back to him, starting to walk away to his own platform. But, of course, Ryuji wouldn’t let things stay like that. He approached his friend, holding him by the wrist.

“Akira, wait!” he said.

Akira stopped walking, but didn’t look at his face. Ryuji took a deep breath, his mind racing.

“Sorry,” he said. “You were worried, right? I... I didn’t mean to—”

“That’s not the problem,” Akira interrupted him in a low voice. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt either, much less because of me.”

Akira looked at him, and, before Ryuji could react, placed a hand on his cheek, approaching their faces.

And kissed him.

It lasted but a second, but was enough to make Ryuji’s brain freeze. Akira looked at him, twisting his lips.

“You’re a great friend, an amazing fighter, and a wonderful person,” he muttered. “But you’re also so damn fucking slow.”

Ryuji couldn’t say if he was more surprised by the kiss or those sweet words. However, before he could answer, Akira had already given his back to him again, running to his train platform. After a moment, Ryuji finally remembered how legs worked, and ran after him. It was too late, though, since the door had just closed, and he could only catch his friend’s nervous gaze for a second before the train started to move.

_Damn_... What was that nerd thinking? Running away like that, just after... after...

Ryuji groaned to himself. What did all that mean? Was it okay for him to interpret it as a confession? Like, a love confession? From Akira? His best friend and hopeless crush?

Well, as Akira said, he was slow as fuck, so he just couldn’t know the answer. However, he was still stubborn as a pack mule, and if Akira thought he wouldn’t get the next train to the Leblanc to get those answers out of the guy himself, then he was completely wrong.

**Author's Note:**

> I have so many things to work on, but I uhh... missed them.  
> Now I just imagine Akira rolling on his bed, while asking Morgana "why the hell did he do something like that?" when Ryuji gets inside the Leblanc yelling his name and demanding answers... Poor coffee dad is too old for this.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this fic, kudos and comments are highly appreciated! ♥


End file.
